Women entrepreneurs are getting more help and resources from governments, universities and corporations including money.

The number of women-owned businesses in the U.S. increased 44 percent from 2001 to 2011, says the Center for Womens Business Research.

Raising capital is a major problem for startups because they need money to grow. In the U.S., only 2 percent of women-run startups receive funding from venture capitalists, says a study by the National Foundation for Women Business Owners and Wells Fargo & Co. Yet women in the U.S. own 38 percent of U.S. businesses, or 9.1 million companies, says the study. Women-owned firms produce $3 trillion annually in the U.S. economy and create 16 percent of U.S. jobs.

More organizations are providing funding for women-owned startups. Springboard Enterprises in Washington, D.C. is one of these. The organization introduces women-owned startups to investors.